FFXIV: A Realm Reborn Focuses on PS3; First Expansion Teased

In a Producer LIVE for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Square Enix shed some light on some of the new futures and their future plans including housing system, new race and even the expansion!

FFXIV currently focuses on PS3, according to the producer Q&A. But that's not a big deal because PS3 still have years of life. What will interest players is the housing system, which is scheduled to release in the first major update after launch. Specifically, Free Company housing and individual housing are the same basically. Although the housing system won't be available at launch, the new class Summoner will be. What's more, there could be more new classes/jobs coming in the future — thief, ninja, samurai, musketeer? Stay tuned.

Another interesting teaser is new race. Probably you've heard some rumors before, and in fact the developer is considering Viera, the rabbit-like female race. What concerns the developer is whether players can accept Viera male, and they will probably "look into having a separate race for the male counterpart."

In addition to new race, the developer has a bigger picture in their mind: an expansion. Square Enix plans to release the first expansion within two years of launch, and it seems that they'd like to introduce in the new race with the expansion.

Other Q&As that might interest you:

Q22: Please tell us more about chocobo raising!
A22: We'll first be releasing housing, but you'll be able to set up a chocobo stable and purchase a baby chocobo to raise. Once you have a chocobo stable you will also be able to do things like breed chocobos and train them.

Q23: Please tell us more about "Treasure Maps."
A23: We will most likely end up implementing the "Treasure Map" system through an update. Basically, Disciples of the Land will have a chance to obtain a treasure map while gathering. The treasure map will provide the players with a hint of a specific location. Once the players figure out where the location is and goes to that location, a ton of monsters will spawn and the players will receive a reward after defeating the spawned monsters.

Q39: What type of PvP battles are you planning to introduce?
A39: We are currently planning to implement a matching system wherein players will fight against other players of the same skill level.

Q45: How often are you planning to update the game after the official release of A Realm Reborn? Also, will you be introducing mini-scenarios not tied to the main scenario during these updates?
A45: We are currently.

planning to introduce major updates once every 2 and a half months. As far as mini-scenario goes, yes, we will be implementing mini-scenarios as well. Gilgamesh, which we introduced earlier, will be introduced through a mini-scenario.